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How to Talk to Your Kids About Cannabis

If you spend any time with kids, chances are you know that they ask a lot of questions. Now that cannabis billboards dot California’s highways, and legal, adult-use markets have reached 10 states and D.C., it’s probable that kids will have questions about cannabis. It could come up at the dinner table, or when one of the many weed-themed TV shows happens to pop up on your streaming list. Even if they’re not talking about it, an estimated 45 percent of American teens have used some form of cannabis by age 18, and social exposure can start in middle school (ages 11-14).

As a parent and cannabis user, I’ve wrestled with the question of when and how to talk to my kids — ages six and nine — about this substance that has both medicinal and recreational value to me. How do I help them stay safe and